May 4 Mexico has reported an outbreak of the highly contagious H7N3 bird flu virus on a commercial farm in the state of Jalisco, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Thursday, citing a report from the Mexican agriculture ministry.
The virus, which does not pose a serious danger to people, was detected among laying hens in a flock of 15,000 birds that had been vaccinated and did not show any clinical signs of the disease, the Paris-based OIE said in a notification.
The farm, located in the town of Tepatitlan de Morelosos, is under quarantine and the birds sent to a slaughterhouse near the site, it said.
In June, 2012, an outbreak was found on about 10 farms in Jalisco, Mexico. Of the over 6 million birds checked, 1.7 million were found to be sick. The area primarily produces layers and supplies eggs. The virus is not transmitted from hens to their eggs.
(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Mark Potter)
